Rescue Rose!
by miktokki
Summary: *New summary: Dimitri is back from Palm Springs and him and Rose are finally ready to start their relationship. but things aren't going their way, once again. When Rose is kidnapped and taken to a familiar yet exotic place, her friends try everything they can to get her back...before its too late.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello^^ First I wanna say thank you to all the readers, and for being patient while I fixed up everything. I hope you guys like this new story plot better. The reason why I changed plots was because I was thinking about the plot and found waaay too many holes in it. There are still going to be some similarities in the new plot to the old one, but there will be lots of changes also, especially in chapter 3 and onward.**

**Well onward to the story~**

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**Dimitri's P.O.V**

I stepped off the airplane happy to be back in Pennsylvania. Although I would miss the nice warmth and sun of Palm Springs, the weather here was much more suitable for my duster. I turned on my phone and was surprised to see no phone calls or messages from Rose. I contemplated calling her myself but decided against it. It'll be more fun to surprise her at home, I thought with a small smile.

On my way towards the airport exit, I yawned and thought for a moment. I didn't know who was picking me up, but I figured they could wait a couple minutes while I got a quick coffee. While in line, two teenagers came up behind me and were chatting avidly.

"You should have seen her! She was amazingly attractive," Boy #1 exclaimed rather loudly. A few people looked over at his loud voice.

"Okay," Boy #2 answered, an annoyed edge in his tone. "You've told me this multiple times already."

"Well, what can I say, she was hot," Boy #1 said again.

"You've said that like 5 times already, dude. All I wanna do is get a coffee and leave."

"But seriously," Boy #1 said ignoring what his friend's comment. "This girl was amazing. I mean her body was hot, her hair was amazing. She looked athletic and gave off a confident vibe. Totally my girl."

The line moved up. "Well maybe you should've asked her out or something?" Boy #2 seemed tired of this conversation.

"Nah man. What if she had a boyfriend?"

Boy #2 didn't answer. But I wasn't paying any more attention since it was my turn to order. I asked for just a plain black coffee and decided to get a bagel and cream cheese. _Why not?_ The waitress took my order happily, and smiled flirtatiously but I only nodded in reply. I took a seat at a stool to wait. The boys were still talking about this girl, and had soon come to sit near me.

"Do you think it'd be too late to go back and ask for her number?" Boy #1 asked.

"I don't know." Boy #2 replied, I could almost hear the eye rolling in his voice.

"Oh my god." Boy #1 said. "She's coming over here." Part of me was curious to see this girl they were talking about, but I kept still and drummed my fingers gently against the counter.

"No," Boy #2 said suddenly. "She's headed towards that tall guy in the cowboy jacket." I instantly tensed. It couldn't be. Could it?

Suddenly a small shadow was cast over me and annoyed foot tapping reached my ears. _Well, so much for surprising her at home_, I thought. I slowly turned and found Rose standing there. Her arms were crossed and her face was blank as she tapped her foot. When I had fully turned to face her though, she ceased the tapping.

"And just where have you been?" She asked. Despite her being smaller than me, she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Getting coffee," I answered simply.

"Well, the coffee could've waited. But instead, _I_ have been waiting here for an hour."

"My flight got out 10 minutes ago though."

"Yes, well Lissa insisted that I left early. I told her it wouldn't take that long to get here but she just about pushed me out the door."

"You could've called," I pointed out.

"I wanted to surprise you!" She exclaimed.

"One coffee and bagel with cream cheese." I motioned for Rose to wait one second before getting up and picking up my order. On my way back to where Rose was waiting I peeked over and saw the boys looking at Rose in awe. Boy #2 was better at hiding it though, whereas Boy #1 was openly staring with his mouth wide. Rose on the other hand looked totally oblivious. Which was a little different, since she usually basked in that attention. I smirked slightly and decided to use that as an advantaged.

When I reached Rose, I placed my coffee and bagel down on the counter, before leaning down and surprising Rose with a kiss. She was a little startled at first but soon relaxed into the kiss. I smiled against her lips and then pulled away.

"What was that for?" She still sounded breathless after our kisses and I loved it.

"A welcome back gift."

She frowned slightly, "But you're the one coming back..."

"I know. So now you don't have to get me one," I teased. Her expression changed to amused.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you, comrade, because that's something I would say."

I smiled and picked up my one bag and slipped it on my shoulder before picking up my drink and snack again. "Maybe."

Rose's lip quirked. "Come on. Let's go home. You're driving this time."

"Hmm, I would've thought you would want to drive."

"I do. But knowing you, you would leave me with the impression that I was driving and then at the car, demand the keys. So I'm just gonna get it over with now." Then she slipped the keys into my duster's pocket and walked off. I watched her walk off and saw all the people that couldn't help but watch her walk past them.

I peeked back at the kids and saw that despite the disappointment in their faces, they still watched Rose walk away. I sighed to myself.

"Are you coming?" Rose hollered. I smiled and nodded as I began to follow her. _A force to be reckoned with, Dimitri,_ I thought to myself.

Once at the car, the curiosity got to me and I had to ask, "Didn't you notice the guys staring at you?" Rose turned and looked at me funny.

"Why? Did you want me to?"

"No reason, is just that you usually do notice when people pay attention to you."

She smirked slightly and shrugged. "I noticed Sir Stares-a-lot alright. I just didn't give him my attention. He left a pretty interesting first impression when I saw him outside." By now we were climbing into the car. Once we were seated, Rose motioned to the car next to us. "That's his car and he just about plastered himself to my window when he saw me."

I could see Boy #1 doing that and smiled as I started the car. The ride back to Court was filled with small talk on how everyone was doing.

"How is everyone?" Rose asked. "Jill is doing alright in the sun?"

"Yeah, she's doing pretty good. I only saw her a few times, but she seemed to be doing well."

"And Eddie? Oh! And Angeline, how's she doing?"

"Eddie's doing really good. Angeline is surprisingly fitting in well nice. She had a few small slip ups here and there, but she's showing improvement." Before she could ask I also added in Sydney. "Sydney's doing well too."

"What about Adrian?" I have her a sidelong glance and saw Rose staring out the window. She had a slightly faraway look on her face.

"He's doing a lot better."

"Good. I'm glad." I thought for a second and decided to change the subject.

"What about here? Sonya get back okay?"

"Yeah. When she got back she basically tackled Mikhail. That was quite the sight."

I laughed. "I'm actually surprised _you_ didn't tackle _me._"

"Did you want me to? Cause I still can." She smiled.

"Roza, no offense but I doubt you could." She looked at me shocked.

"I so can!"

"I don't know," I said with a smile.

"Fine. It's a challenge now. Just you wait." I laughed and shook my head.

Back at Court, everything was exactly how it was when I had left. The only difference was the slight change in temperature, winter was settling in and the breeze was chilly. Rose and I went to our apartment and I was surprised to see Lissa and Christian there. Rose greeted them and then plopped herself down on the couch.

"We thought we'd come and welcome you back," Lissa said politely with a smile.

"Didn't want Rose keeping you all to herself," Christian teased with an eye roll.

"Tryna steal my boyfriend, Ozera?" Rose asked with a smile.

"Of course," he replied sarcastically, biting down a smile. "Welcome back," he said to me seriously. Even though it's been a short time since I was assigned to Christian, we've become pretty good friends.

"Thank you," I replied.

"We also came by to tell you that you're off duty tomorrow," Lissa told me. "Hans figured you'd be tired from the different time zones and being in human schedule for a while." Right now it was midday for a human, but for us it was technically the middle of the night. I was kind of shocked Lissa and Christian were awake to greet us.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." I smiled.

"Well, I'm tired beyond belief," Christian said. Lissa nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you later Rose," she threw in. Rose, who had wandered into the kitchen by now, stuck her head out around the corner and thumbed up Lissa, as her mouth was full. With that our visitors left and I set down my bag and sat down on the couch. Rose came back soon and sat down next to me. A turkey and cheese sandwich in her hands.

Without asking, I leaned over and took a bite.

"Hey! That was huge!" Rose looked between the sandwich and me in disbelief.

I swallowed the food and then shook my head. "No that was a regular bite."

"Regular bite, my ass! You took out half the sandwich!" She held it up to my face. I chuckled slightly and took the sandwich and set it on the coffee table. "What are you doing? I'm hungry!"

I leaned forward and kissed her, cutting off anything else she said. Rose instantly responded, pulling me closer by my jacket. When we pulled away for air.

"I guess food could wait," she said. I smiled and kissed her again.

**Rose P.O.V**

I woke up in a tangle of sheets and body limbs. I smiled to myself as I untangled myself and stretched, before turning to face Dimitri. He was still sound asleep. I smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek softly before getting out of bed. I found some clothes and slipped into the bathroom for a shower. I made it quick and was soon drying off. I slipped on my uniform and exited the bathroom.

Dimitri was still asleep, just like I expected him to be. I closed the bedroom door and went to the kitchen for breakfast. I chose a bowl of cereal and ate it in silence. When I finished, I went back into the bathroom and blow dried my hair before pulling it up. I also brushed my teeth. When I finished I left a quick note on the kitchen counter and grabbed my stake before leaving.

I met Lissa at her apartment and nodded to her other guardians politely. I knocked on the door and waited for her answer before entering the room.

"You're here," Lissa said with a smile.

"I always am," I laughed and took my position. Her other guardian Serena was also in the room and we nodded to each other in acknowledgment.

"I know, I just didn't want you to miss the very long, very boring meeting we're about to go to." Lissa smiled at my scowl.

**Dimitri P.O.V**

I woke up to find the bed empty. Remembering Rose had work, I sat up and stretched. I got out of bed and slipped on some sweat pants before making my way to the kitchen. On the counter I found a note from Rose.

_Off to work. I'll be back on my break with lunch. Love you._

I smiled and went to start the coffee machine. As I waited for the dark liquid to brew, I could hear keys jingling as they unlocked the door. The sound of rustling plastic bags traveled through the apartment. The door closed again and then Rose made her way to the kitchen.

She stopped in the doorway and studied me with an amused expression. "Nice hair."

I laughed and watched as she placed the food containers on the counter. Her hair was tied up in a knot, showing her molnija marks, zvedza marks, and promise mark.

"Are you gonna stare at me all day or do you want your food?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"I would love to do both but..." I trailed off as my stomach growled in need. Rose laughed as she grabbed her food and started towards the dining table. I smiled at the sound of her laughter. I quickly poured myself a cup of coffee and grabbed the container she left for me and went to join her.

"Do you go back for another shift?" I asked opening the box and revealing some Chinese take out.

"Yeah, I have the night shift tonight. So you'll be left all by your lonesome," she said smiling.

"What if I wanted to be alone tonight?" I teased. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Knowing you, you probably do." She took a bite of food and finished it before continuing. "You'll probably spend your time catching up on the latest western novel." She waved her hands in mock enthusiasm.

"Maybe I will." Rose nudged my shoulder playfully and then we both continued to eat silently. That was one of the comforting things about being with Rose. We could be completely quiet, yet not be awkward.

After eating, we just relaxed on the couch watching whatever was on tv. It seemed like time passed way too quickly, because soon Rose was getting ready to leave again.

"I'll be back in a few hours," she said slipping on her shoes. "Try to get some more sleep." She smiled and leaned up to kiss me on my cheek. When she was gone, I closed the door behind her and took her advice. I made my way to the bedroom and climbed in bed; falling into slumber the instant my head hit my pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hola~ Here is the rewritten chap 2. Like I said in chapter 1 not very much is changed until chapter 3.**

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**Dimitri P.O.V**

I woke up and found Rose's side of the bed tampered with, but empty. I turned around and saw that it was now a little past sunset. _Time to get up._

I shuffled out of bed and could here noises coming from the kitchen. The smell of bacon was also coming from the kitchen and I followed the scent almost dreamily.

"You can cook?" I asked, a little shocked, to see Rose pouring eggs into pan. I never really pegged Rose for the cooking type. She looked over and shrugged.

"Only a few things. When we were on the run Lissa wanted to take a few cooking lessons at one of the colleges we hid at." She smiled and tended to the bacon before turning back to the eggs. "I figured you'd want something more than just cereal and granola bars."

I yawned with a nod as I leaned up against the counter.

"Hans called...said you could take another day off if you needed it," Rose continued. She checked the bacon before nodding to herself and turning off the burner.

"No it's fine. I'm not as tired as I was."

Rose eyed me suspiciously. "You sure?"

"Yes, Roza, I'm positive." I leaned down and kissed her head before pulling down plates for us. After this, she quickly finished up the eggs, served both our plates, and came to join me at the table with our food. She looked down at her food before suddenly getting up again and wandering to the refrigerator. She pulled out the ketchup and maple syrup before coming back to the table.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously. For Rose had squirted out from maple syrup near her bacon, and ketchup on her eggs. She winked at me before picking up a bacon strip, dipping it in syrup and eating it. "Interesting...You're the first person I've ever seen eat bacon and syrup together."

"It's delicious."

"And ketchup on your eggs?" I asked raising an eyebrow. She gave me her 'duh' face and took a bite of her eggs.

"Amazing," she mumbled before taking another bite. She continued to dip the bacon into the syrup, and the curiosity got to me. I picked up one of my bacon strips and reached over to dip it in the syrup. Rose watched me with an amused and expectant expression.

"And you're sure this is good?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Depends on your tastes. I showed it to Eddie, Lissa and Mason one time. Lissa hated it, but Mason and Eddie both loved it." I pursed my lips before biting into the bacon. The sweetness of the syrup and the crunchiness of the bacon mixed in a unique way.

When I swallowed the bite, I spoke again. "Well, it's not the worst thing I've tasted. But it's not the best either."

Rose smiled. "Time for the eggs and ketchup!"

"I think I'll skip that for next time," I said.

"You're missing out, comrade. Missing out."

**Rose P.O.V**

After our breakfast, Dimitri and I hung out in our apartment basically all day. When the it was getting close to sunrise we put on our formal guardian uniforms. We made our way towards the Court's plaza to meet Lissa and Christian. Today, they both were going to some house party in some secluded neighborhood. Most Moroi gatherings were held at Court, but the Badica host was dead set on having the dinner at his mansion.

Christian didn't usually go to these things, so I was kind of surprised to see him dressed up. Ever since Tasha's arrest he avoided royal gatherings more often. Royals had no shame in gossiping about a person right in front of them.

Lissa wore white slacks, and a coral blazer over a white dress shirt with a black collar. She had on white high heels also. Her blonde hair was up in a high pony tail. Her make-up was kept to a minimum. Christian was the exact opposite color wise. He wore black dress pants, and a black dress shirt.

"There you guys are," Lissa said with a smile. "The van is almost here to pick us up. We're meeting Serena and a few other guardians at the gates."

With that we got into our formation of me flanking Lissa, and Dimitri flanking Christian and made our ways toward the gates. As we grew closer, I could see the forms of other guardians coming into view. And as if magic, the van pulled up right as we came to stop in front of the others.

We climbed in and began our ride. The hidden Court disappeared into the horizon as we got closer to the city, and then that also disappeared as we started to drive through another secluded area. The van soon came to a stop and then we all shuffled out. I stood mouth agape when I saw this big mansion.

It was white and had a red trim and window shutters. There were multiple windows, showing that there were multiple different rooms. There was a gate surrounding the mansion, probably where the wards were, and a few guardians scattered around watching the area.

"Are these all his guardians?" I asked Serena. She shook her head.

"No, they're just here for extra back up. There are a couple more Moroi in there." I nodded and then followed everyone into the building. It was just as magnificent as it was outside. The floor was marble and the furniture was also white. In the main entrance there was a man in a suit, smiling at us.

"Welcome to my home, Queen Vasilisa. It's an honour to have you here."

"Thank you for inviting us. You have a lovely house." The man smiled and then led us into the dining room. When Lissa took her seat, which was next to the host of the party, I stood against the wall directly behind her chair. Christian had sat down next to her, so Dimitri took his position next to me. If I wasn't supposed to be quiet and doing a job, I would've joked and said this was like a messed up double date.

Now that the queen was here, the food was starting to be served. I will admit I thought it was a little cruel to bring out such great smelling food and not share it was the dhampirs, but that wasn't how things worked.

The room was filled with constant chatter, and every now and then Lissa would join in on the conversations. Sometimes Lissa's face would give away when she disagreed with something someone said, and it was times like those I wished the bond was still intact so I could know what she was thinking.

As the night went on, I followed Lissa through the building, as she mingled with almost every possible person. Even without the bond I could tell she was feeling a little awkward about being the youngest person here (beside Christian and I), but she did a good job interacting.

It wasn't until later in the evening that things suddenly became quiet. Weird noises were coming from outside. I frowned and looked towards the door, I was a little confused, but still ready to pounce. I quickly met Dimitri's eyes and could tell he felt the same. The Moroi started to huddle together. I went over to Dimitri's side and grabbed Christian.

"If things get too intense," I whispered into his ear. "I trust you to keep them off of Liss." He met my eyes and I could see the determination.

"Of course," he said with a nod. I brought him to Lissa and then Serena took both of them. Cries and grunts could be heard from outside. I swear I even heard a maniacal laugh that sent chills down my spine. The other guardians, including me and Dimitri, had formed a sort of half circle around the royals.

Suddenly, the door burst open. A bloodied guardian came running in. His eyes were wide and scared. He had blood running down the side of his head, and was gripping his side.

"We're under attack!"

Once those three words were out, all hell broke loose. About ten Strigoi broke through the door, and by the cries still sounding outside, I could tell there were more. The royals screamed in fear, but the guardians acted out. I pulled out my stake and charged forward. I came face to face with a male who looked about Dimitri's age. He smirked and opened his mouth to say something, but I stabbed him before he could spit it out.

I turned to the next Stigoi and found an older woman she hissed at me and this fight took a little longer that the previous. In the corner of my eye, I could see Dimitri take down a Strigoi.

Suddenly another guardian yelled form the door. "Some are getting away! We're going after them. Belikov?"

I met Dimitri's eyes again, and gave him a nod to go. He gave me one last look to say '_be careful_' before following the small group going outside.

"Get the Moroi upstairs," Serena called. We started to herd the Moroi up the stairs and take out Strigoi at the same time. We almost made it too. I had just taken down a Strigoi and couldn't see any more. I knew better, but part of me wanted to make sure Lissa was still safe. We made eye contact and she smiled slightly to show she was okay.

The next moments happened almost in slow motion. Lissa's smile slowly grew into shock and then horror. I frowned in confusion, but suddenly a rock hard arm was wrapping around my waist, and the other hand around my neck to block off my air. My eyes widened and soon my vision grew darker, as less and less oxygen made it to my lungs.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Lissa trying to push pass the guardians.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: okay, so this chapter is where all the more prominent changes start to occur~**

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**Dimitri P.O.V**

The small group and I ran through the woods chasing after the runaway Strigoi. It didn't take long before we had them surrounded. They watched us carefully as we closed in slowly. A few hissed and growled, but others stayed quiet.

As if on sync the guardians leapt forward and we took down the remaining Strigoi. Once we were finished we all nodded in approval to each other. I didn't waste any time and started to jog back to the house. I needed to make sure Rose was okay. _Of course she's okay._

The house was quiet. When I got back the guardians were dragging the Strigoi bodies out of the way and cleaning up the mess. Before I reached the door I saw two guardians watching me with sympathy in their eyes. They whispered something and then shook their heads sadly. I frowned but continued walking forward.

Inside it was just as bad. When other guardians saw me they'd stop what they were doing to watch me sadly. There were a few whispers as well. All the attention was triggering anxiety in my stomach but I ignored it. I tried not to pay them any attention and looked for Rose, Lissa or Christian.

I found Lissa and Christian sitting on the stairs but when I saw them that feeling of anxiety increased. It was then that I knew something was wrong. Lissa was hunched over, her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking, showing that she was crying heavily. Christian's face was dark and he looked dazed as he rubbed Lissa's back soothingly. Serena was sitting behind them whispering something to Lissa.

There was one person missing from this scenario.

"What's wrong?" I asked urgently. "Where's Rose?"

Serena opened her mouth to say something but someone called her away. Lissa looked up at me. Her eyes were red from crying and her face tear stained.

"Oh god...Rose...she..she was.." Before Lissa could finish her sentence she shook her head and started to cry again. Panic was starting to bubble up in me. _Surely Rose was only slightly injured and Lissa was just over reacting right?_

I looked at Christian, he still had a dazed look on his face. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he snapped out of his trance.

"Christian?" I asked calmly. "Where's Rose?"

Christian took a shaky breath. "Dimitri." He said my name almost like a question. "Dimitri, Rose was...she was taken. By the Strigoi."

My whole world crashed down on me. I fell to my knees. I could faintly hear the sounds of Lissa's sobbing increasing. It all made sense, the whispers and gazes from the other guardians. My Roza was gone, taken right from under me.

The ride back to Court was a daze. After we made sure the host of the party was safe, we re-did the wards and then left. Lissa didn't stop crying the whole way and Christian sat in his sad daze. I on the other hand, I didn't know how I felt. I was angry, sad, confused, and most of all heartbroken.

Now I was sitting at the front of a meeting room. The room was usually only where guardians met but because of the circumstances, Abe was sitting in the back with Janine. They came over to greet me, but I couldn't look them in the eye. This got me some confused looks from them, but at this point I didn't care. I didn't care about anything, but getting Rose back.

Suddenly Hans came walking in. He stood at the front of the room, next to where I was sitting, and everyone went quiet.

"As you probably know by now there was an attack at a Badica house earlier today. The Strigoi used humans once again to disable the wards. First they taunted the surrounding Guardians away from the house and then used humans to take down the wards. The humans then got away in their own car leaving another for the Strigoi to use. No Moroi were taken or killed, and everything is back to normal at the house. But there was one person taken from the attack."

Tears threatened to spring from my eyes. I bowed my head and buried my face in my hands.

"You said no Moroi were taken!" Someone said.

"That's because there were no_Moroi_ taken. It was a Dhampir." Murmurs started up in the room. It was almost normal for one of us to be killed in an attack, but that didn't mean we still didn't get shocked when it happened. I heard some chairs shuffling and pictured some guardians standing up to take a head count to figure out who wasn't here. I could tell some people figured it out by their urgent whispers.

I looked up and instantly meet Janine's eyes. She was staring at me intently, trying to read my face. I knew what she saw. Hurt, sadness, anger. Every emotion I felt was probably feeling was plastered to my face. Janine's guardian mask crumbled and I knew she knew. Janine stood up and looked towards Hans.

"Who was it?" Janine's voice was hard. Everyone quieted. Hans swallowed but didn't answer right away. "Who was it?! Who was taken!?" Janine's composure was slipping. Abe stood up and tried to sit Janine back down. She shook him off and he looked confused. Abe hadn't figured it out yet.

Hans cleared his throat. "The Dhampir that was taken was Rose Hathaway." Everyone fell silent. No one would have guessed Rose would be taken. Sure, Rose was reckless but we all knew she took her job seriously, and was arguably one of the best. It almost seemed impossible that she'd be taken. But then at the time it seemed impossible that I was taken.

"Why would they just take one person?" Abe asked. His voice was hard, as if he was hiding what he was really feeling.

"We haven't figured it out yet. Another Guardian came up with the theory that they are taking revenge on Rose." Hans voice became hard. "But a case like this has never happened. So we don't know for sure."

"Well what now?" Someone in the back of the room hollered.

Hans took a deep breath. "We haven't figured out what to do next, but once we do everyone will be notified of our decision." With that Hans left the room. A few people stayed to give their condolences to Abe and Janine. Some even patted my shoulder supportingly.

When everyone was gone, Lissa and Christian walked in. They must've been sitting outside the whole time. Janine ignored them and came up to me.

"Where were you when it happened?" Her voice was hard.

"I went with some others to track down the Strigoi that got away. Rose stayed in the house. It's my fault; I should've stayed in the house too."

Janine opened her mouth to say something but Lissa cut her off.

"No, it's my fault. I saw the Strigoi come up behind her. I could've warned her, but I panicked and nothing came out."

"I could've done something too," Christian spoke. "A little spark of fire on the Strigoi, and she would still be here." Despite Christian and Rose's constant bickering, they treated each other like brother and sister.

"It's none of your faults," Abe's voice rang out. He sounded suddenly worn out. "You all could've done something, but none of you is personally at fault. No matter what we'll get her back."

This was one of Abe's rare fatherly moments, but I didn't dwell on it too much. We all decided to get some sleep and then come back to come up with a plan.

The apartment was empty without Rose. I kept thinking about how we were just in here, laughing and being near each other. And now she was gone. _This was how she felt, when I was captured, wasn't it?_ I hate knowing that she felt like this. That she went through this pain.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, and heaved a large sigh as I placed my head in my hands. It was then that I let out the sobs. Rose...my Roza couldn't just disappear like that. We had just started to relax, thinking we could just be together.

And how were we supposed to find Strigoi that are hidden. Slowly, an idea came to mind. Adrian. He helped find them once he could do it again/

I jumped up and grabbed my phone. Adrian and I still weren't on best terms but he had to care about Rose enough as a friend to help.

"Hello?" Adrian's voice rang through the cell. He sounded slightly aggravated yet curious at the same time.

"Adrian," I said, relief evident at my voice.

"Yeah, that's me. Why are you calling?"

"Listen, I know we're not on the best of terms, but I need your help."

**Rose P.O.V**

For a long while, I drifted between the waking world and sleep. I couldn't tell where we were going and at one point I could've sworn we were on an airplane. I didn't fully wake up until later. I was lying on a hard mattress in a dark cold room. A thin fleece blanket was thrown over me. I sprang up and instantly regretted it.

My head pounded and I clutched it in my hands as I gritted my teeth. Once the pain subsided I looked up and squinted through the darkness. I could make out a few pieces of dusty furniture and a table with some sort of supplies on it, but that was it. There was a big heavy metal door as well.

I sighed and groaned inwardly. _Great going Rose. You got yourself kidnapped my crazy strigoi._ A breeze blew through the room and I looked up to find a small hole in the wall for a window. There were 4 heavy bars blocking it though. Running a hand through my hair I started to get up.

Suddenly the heavy door squealed open. My head snapped in the direction and saw that it was only a human maid. She stared at me curiously and whispered something hurried in a foreign language. It took a moment for my groggy head to pick it up, but I realized it was Russian. The foggy memory of being on an airplane rushed back to me and my eyes widened in realization.

I stared at the maid and blurted out, "Where am I? What country is this?"

The maid pursed her lips before speaking in flawless English, "Welcome to Russia." I bolted up to a standing position but swayed.

"No, no, no," I mumbled to myself. "This is bad. This is very, very bad. They'll never find me here!"

Another pair of footsteps could be heard and suddenly the maid rushed forward and pretended to tidy up the things on the metal table.

"Good you're up," a chilly voice spoke in the dark. I tried to see through the darkness but it was too much, even for my eyes. The voice was eerily familiar, and when the figure stepped out of the shadows and I gasped.

"You?!" I asked incredulously. My brain racked, trying to remember his name. Marlen. That was it. He smirked.

"I know. Shocker." It was the Strigoi that I had tortured in Russia. I thought he had died in the battle where Dimitri came back as a dhampir. How was he still here?

"How? How are you still alive? I thought you were killed!"

"I thought I was too. Turns out the guardian that staked me missed my heart." His upper lip folded into a small scowl. I wasn't paying much attention though. My thoughts wandered in a panicked haze. _Shit, what was he going to do to me? He's out for revenge, isn't he?_

Suddenly a hard slap rang in the room. I didn't realize he had slapped me until I felt the sting. I turned back to glare at him.

"Sorry, but you weren't listening." He shrugged slightly. "Now where was I? Ah, yes. I was about to tell you why I took you."

"Don't you know a villain should never tell his plans?" I asked through clenched teeth. "It always turns out badly for bad guy."

He chuckled. "Rose, you're in a Strigoi hive. The only bad thing would be inflicted upon you." The Strigoi reached down and moved a stray hair from my face. My glare intensified and I stiffened when his finger came in contact with my skin.

"Now, as I was saying, I took you for one reason. And you can probably guess what it is." He looked at me expectantly. I did know what he was talking about but I chose not to answer. He smirked and continued. "Revenge. The question is how I will bring that revenge upon you."

The Strigoi stopped for a second and barked a command to the maid. She jumped and quickly scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. He walked over to a dusty chair and pulled it towards me before dusting it off and sitting down. He motioned with his hand to have a seat and I sighed before sitting in the far corner of the cot.

"Can you please get to the point?" I asked. "It's quite annoying when you start to talk and then stop to fidget." I knew I was pushing this guy's buttons, but he was getting annoying, and I was getting irritated with him very quickly.

He rolled his eyes. "You're quite aggravating you know that? I don't know how Belikov puts up with you. Now as I was saying. I've decided to turn you…eventually." I paled. _This is not what I was expecting. I would understand if he threw me around a little but this..._ "You tortured me in Russia. And in return, I'll give you a life time of torture; the life of Strigoi. The best thing is you'll never want to change back. Of course, we're going to have some fun first, but soon you'll be one of us. "

I didn't tell him that a stake full of spirit would turn me back because I knew he was right. Even the Strigoi version of Dimitri told me himself. Once you're Strigoi, you'll never want to be changed back.

Suddenly a knock was heard and the big door was swung open. "Marlen, some of the new recruits are causing a scene. We need your help."

Marlen sighed irritatedly. "You're lucky today, Rose. We'll start our fun tomorrow." He gave me a creeper smile and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: rewritten chapter 4**

* * *

**R POV**

After Marlen left, I stared off into the darkness of the room. I had nothing to do to pass the time. And no matter how badly I wanted to escape, Marlen was right. I was in a Strigoi hive, I would be the one to die. I had no bond so no distracting myself by going into Lissa's head. Just silence. A small part of me feared what Marlen would do to me, but I tried to keep calm.

Bored, I pulled the chair over to the wall with the window and climbed up onto it. Even with the chair I had to stand on my tip toes to actually peek out the window. There wasn't much to see but tall grass and a few wild flowers. The sky was dark and stars dotted it. With a sigh of defeat, I hopped down the chair and leaned against the wall.

I thought about resorting to how I acted when Dimitri held me hostage, but decided that throwing around furniture wouldn't get me anywhere. It didn't help the first time either. I wandered over to the cot and sat down on it with my legs crossed. My stomach growled and I wondered if I would get food or if starving me was part of Marlen's torture.

I yawned suddenly and decided that a few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt. The Strigoi wouldn't bother me once the sun rose so I would be safe for a while. I closed my eyes, and quickly fell into darkness.

The scenary in my dream quickly changed to my room at Court. I recognized the feeling instantly. It was something I thought I would never feel again after Adrian left. It was a spirit dream. I looked around, looking for him.

"Good you're still alive." Adrian's voice rang through my ears. I turned around and saw him leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. "You had me worried there."

"Yeah...how did you know?"

"Belikov called and practically begged me to find you." He took a deep breath. "You really do get yourself into a lot of trouble."

I smiled slightly.

"So, where are you? Dimitri said you were taken..."

"Yeah, um, I'm in Russia…again."

"You're going to have to be more specific that that Rose. Russia's a pretty big country."

"That's the thing. I don't know. The only thing I can see out of the window in my cell is grass."

Adrian threw his hands up in the air and let them drop down to his sides. "You'll have to gather more information."

"I'll try everything I can," I said confidently. Adrian nodded knowingly.

"I know you will."

Adrian and I stood there awkwardly. It'd been a couple months since the whole incident between us happened. But we still had never really made up.

"I should probably go and pass that info on to Belikov. Stay safe, Rose."

I nodded. "I will. Thank you, Adrian." He nodded and then the dream ended. I woke up briefly, but soon fell back asleep.

**D P.O.V**

"Russia?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Adrian replied tiredly. "She doesn't know where exactly though. She can't see anything from the window." With my free hand I ran my fingers through my hair in aggravation.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Yeah. I'll check in with her frequently and pass on the information."

"Thank you," I repeated. After this we hung up and I rubbed my face tiredly. I barely got any sleep last night wondering where she could be and now that I knew it didn't lessen my worries at all. I knew Janine and everyone else would need to know this new information.

After a quick shower, I got dressed and left to go find Lissa and Christian.

"Belikov!" Hans voice rang down the hallway from behind me. I stopped and turned. "I was just coming to your apartment. I have some bad news for you."

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

"We, the other guardians and I, have decided to not send a party out to save Rose."

I tensed and spoke my reply through clenched teeth. "What do you mean?"

"The strigoi only took one person. We lose guardians all the time. There's nothing we can do."

"But I know where Rose is." My voice was becoming desperate but I tried to keep calm.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do. She'll probably be dead, or worse by the time we get wherever she is." Anger sparked and suddenly I grabbed Hans by his shirt collar and pulled him forward.

"You can't just not search for her." I spoke quietly. "You have to do something."

Hans eyes narrowed. "I told you there is nothing we can do. Now, if you value your guardian status, I'd let go of me, Belikov."

I let out a breath and let go of his shirt collar before spinning around and running off to look for someone who would help.

**R P.O.V**

I woke with a jolt. Somehow I had ended up on the floor. My cheek pressed against the carpet, I groaned.

"Wake up," hissed a female voice. In a panic I sprang up, forgetting where I was for a moment. The female maid stared down at me blankly. "Marlen's coming soon and if you're not awake he'd do more than push you off the bed."

I sighed and pushed myself off the ground and sat on the edge of the bed. The maid nodded in approval when I was up and put a tray of food on my lap. Bread and water. Lovely. I picked up the bread and ate it slowly with small sips of water. Before I was finished, the maid took my tray and set on the table just as Marlen walked in.

"Good you're awake." Marlen spoke in his usual cold voice. "He said something to the maid and she quickly packed up the tray and exited the room. Marlen closed the heavy door behind her and sauntered over to the table. He trailed his fingers on the surface as he spoke.

"Rose, I have to admit you are certainly lovely, and it'll be such a shame to ruin your pretty face. But honestly, I'll enjoy it…a lot." He picked up a sharp scalpel like object and walked slowly over to me. He held it up and admired the weapon before looking down at me.

Before I could even blink, Marlen had me on my back, his knees locking me in place. I struggled against his hold and cried out in frustration when nothing happened. Why couldn't I take him down a second time?!

Softly he ran the scalpel along one of my arms and slowly the blade dug into my skin. I was able to ignore the sharp sting for a moment before crying out. Marlen smirked in satisfaction and then moved on to the next arm.

I tried to struggle again, but that only made the blade dig in deeper. He lifted the scalpel and licked the blood off it, his eyes going dark. I shuddered and tried to squirm. If he bit me, all hope would be lost. He leaned forward as if to bite me, and when I froze he smirked but leaned back.

"For another time, perhaps."

I relaxed but I knew he wasn't done. Marlen climbed off me and pulled the chair over. He pulled me up and set me down. I tried kicking and punching at him but he easily dodged my advances. When he turned his back to me to fetch something, I jumped forward and tried to attack but he swung his fist back and I fell to the floor.

He tsked me and lifted a thick rope. Throwing me on to the chair again, he started to tie me down. The real pain was about to start.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: rewrite of ch 5 I just realized the time difference lol so let's pretend for this chapter Russia and America are on the same schedule and then for the next chapters I'll make sure to keep up on that .**

**This one is also considerably shorter than the original.**

* * *

**D P.O.V**

"What do you mean they're not searching for her?!" Janine demanded. Her eyes were slightly red from crying last night. "They can't just let her go like that!"

Abe set a hand down on Janine's hand to quiet her. We were sitting a cafe after all and people were starting to stare.

"Remind me why we chose a cafe for this meeting?" Christian mumbled.

"We have to do something," Janine urged. "Anything! I'm not losing her. I will fly over to Russia on my own if I have to."

"But we don't know where she is," I threw in. "I know of multiple strigoi hide outs but I doubt they'd hide out there. She could be anyway."

"I'll talk to Hans," Lissa spoke up. She hadn't spoken since we got here and everyone's heads snapped towards her. "I can get Hans to hold a rescue mission. I'd do anything to get her back."

Hans words ran through my head. _She could be dead or worse..._

"Even..." I met Lissa's eyes and trailed off my sentence. She met my gaze with strong determination

"Yes, even that. If it came to that, I would do it."

"But we won't have to do that," Christian urged, trying to reassure us. Lissa and I held eye contact for a second longer before she nodded slightly. We knew it was a possibility.

"We'll need a plan then," Abe said. "I'll call in some help. Have some men keep an eye out in rural areas. Check out abandoned buildings, whatever."

I nodded. I thought about when Rose and I were on the run with Sydney and I had to play Strigoi. "I could call in," I said hesitantly.

Everyone looked at me curiously. "I can play strigoi," I explained. "Lots of the lesser ones don't know I changed back. If I can play it off, I can get them to spy for me."

Lissa pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay, this is best we can do for now. Adrian said he would check in on her as well, so that will help a lot."

We all agreed. And I could tell we all hated not having more information.

**R P.O.V**

I was lying on my bed, my breath coming out in gasps. Everywhere hurt. After some cutting, Marlen thought it would be fun to punch and puss me around. I could feel multiple bruises forming on my face and I knew I probably looked like hell.

I could hear the maid bustling in the room setting something up. Suddenly something cold was set on my face and I gasped.

"Relax," the maid said gently. "Just ice." I heard some more movement. "I'm going to clean your wounds, so this is going to sting for a while." When I nodded, the maid started to pat my cuts dry. I clenched my teeth to keep from shouting.

When she was done, the stinging slowly faded. She lifted my head, and pressed a glass to my mouth. I drank the water greedily. When the glass was empty she set my head back down and cleaned up her mess.

Once she was finished, she stayed seated next to the bed.

"Why is Marlen after you?" she asked curiously.

"I pissed him off a while back," I croaked out. "This is his revenge."

She pursed her lips and asked another question. "You're Rosemarie Hathaway, aren't you?"

"How do you know?" I asked. Through my swollen eyes I tried to look at her but all I saw was a fuzzy form.

"The strigoi gossip a lot. I hear little tidbits of things here and there. The strigoi don't like you very much."

I tried to laugh, but failed. "Yeah, I know."

It was silent.

"I'll help you get out." That was enough to make me force my eyes open.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"I hate it here," she said simply. "I don't want the immortal life they're promising everyone. I want freedom."

I studied her face momentarily before replying. "Alright. I'll accept your help. And I promise I'll do whatever I can to get you out of here with me."

It was her turn to study my face. Finally she nodded and held out her hand. "Rosemarie, my name is Yana."

I took her hand. "Just call me Rose," I said with a smile.

* * *

_**PLEASE READ~**_

**Extra A/N**: Yay, so now all the chapters are editted and rewritten. But because I'm kind of a horrible editor there still may be some spelling errors every now and then . sorry bout that. I'll start working on the next chapter soon and hopefully it'll be up by the weekend~ I'm planning to have it up by the weekend, but because I don't have very many finals at all this week, it might be up sooner~


	6. Chapter 6

**D P.O.V**

Three days have gone by since the attack, and none of us have come up with anything. Abe's men haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. The strigoi I've talked to haven't seen or heard anything either, surprisingly. Adrian as well hasn't gotten anything. He called this morning saying that he couldn't reach Rose and that only meant two things. Either she's been keeping herself awake or she's mentally weak.

I so desperately wished it was the former, but I knew even Rose couldn't keep herself awake for that long and not eventually pass out. As for me, I've only gotten a handful of hours of sleep. And when I'm not sleeping I'm pacing anxiously.

A hesitant knock sounded at the door, and I called that the door was open. Lissa stepped through quietly and took small steps inside. She wasn't looking very good, but I doubted I looked any better. Her face was even more pale than usual and her eyes rimmed red.

"How are you holding up?" She asked.

I gave her a sad smile, "Not very well. And yourself?"

Lissa just shook her head. "I just want her back."

"Me too," I replied.

Lissa came and sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "The worst thing is my other guardians are acting as if she never existed. As if Rose was just my imaginary friend who's disappeared. I can't handle it anymore. I'm about ready to get on a plane and search Russia on my own."

"I thought about it…" I admitted.

Lissa looked at me as I trailed off. We shared a quick glance and both got up quickly. She spoke first, "How are we going to pull it off?"

I pursed my lips in thought, Russia was huge! Not even I would know where to start. "I don't know."

Her eyes lit up. "I'll ask for a vacation, they'll have to give it me. You can't deny a grieving queen," she said with a dry laugh. "I'll bring you all along. And if that doesn't work we'll do what Rose did best: sneak out." We both genuinely laughed at that. When we gathered ourselves, Lissa nodded.

"I'll go now and see if I can schedule it." I nodded in reply.

"I'll come with you." We left the room and I followed Lissa toward the building that housed the queen and her staff. We entered the large building and Lissa led me up the stairs and into a small office. Her advisor, Katherine looked up over the rim of her glasses and smiled at Lissa.

"Vasilisa, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Katherine. Um, I was just wondering if it were possible for me to take a vacation. I really just need a break from everything with all that's happened."

Katherine, pursed her lips and opened a drawer in her desk. She pulled out a black planner and flipped through the pages. When she reached this month, she skimmed through the pages, her finger slipping down the dates.

"Mmm, you have an important meeting in two weeks, would you be back by then?"

Lissa bit her lip, "I was hoping to get a longer time off…"

"I'm sorry, Vasilisa, you can't miss this meeting."

Lissa thought about it for a moment before sighing. "I can try, but be prepared for Ariana Szelsky to show up in my place."

Katherine looked at Lissa in disapproval, "Your majesty, I don't think that's very wise."

"Yes, well that's my final word, Katherine," Lissa said authoritatively. Finally Katherine nodded and we made plans. Katherine books the tickets for Lissa, Christian, me, Janine, and Abe. When that was finished Katherine instructed us that the tickets would be at the airport ready for us tomorrow afternoon. Katherine also booked rooms in a hotel for us in Saint Petersburg. Once outside again, Lissa let out a sigh of relief. "Now we just have to tell everyone else."

We started walking towards the usual meeting spot of the café. I didn't know how this became our spot, but eventually we all just knew to meet here if we needed to find each other. Lissa and I entered the café and found Christian sitting at a booth. We walked over and Lissa sat down next to him and I slid in across from them.

"We came up with a plan," Lissa said to Christian.

"What is it?"

"We're going to Russia."

"Wait…"Christian said slowly. "We're going all the way out there?"

"We have to," Lissa insisted. "Abe's men can't find anything. Dimitri can't find anything. We might as well search the whole country ourselves!"

"I get that," Christian said. "But you realize how big that country is right? It's not like we can just circle around once and viola we find her."

"But we can try," Lissa replied earnestly. Christian sighed before nodding.

"Alright then, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at noon. Human time." Lissa replied. Christian nodded.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Janine and Abe about our plans. They both replied instantly with the okay. I pocketed my phone again and then motioned for a waitress. She shuffled over quickly and I ordered a plain coffee. Lissa threw in a small salad and Christian just wanted water.

The waitress came back quickly with our order and we sat in silence. I had to admit, that even though Christian was my charge and I had every right to be here, I felt somewhat awkward hanging out with Rose's friends. She was the one who usually chatted and involved everyone.

Suddenly Christian laughed and Lissa looked at him like he was crazy. When he caught her look he shook his head a smile still playing at his mouth. "I don't know why but I suddenly remembered this one time in, I think 8th grade. Rose and Mason were tossing papers at Mr. Nagy's back and every time he would turn around they'd stop. Mr. Nagy got so paranoid he stormed out of the classroom and didn't come back for a couple of days. He thought the world was out to get him."

Lissa smiled. "That's nothing. In just 3rd grade, Rose was able to assemble a whole coup of elementary kids. She even achieved tying up a teacher. A few kids even danced around her. You should've seen Kirova's face when she finally walked in." We all laughed at Lissa's story.

"I don't know how you can put up with her, Dimitri," Christian said, still smiling.

I chuckled and shrugged. "It takes a lot of patience. Sometimes I don't even know how I do it," I joked. Everyone laughed.

"Okay," Christian said suddenly. "I know we don't like talking about her, but I have to ask. Who do you think would win in fight: Avery or Rose?"

Rose had filled me in on enough for me to know that Avery was spirit user who had gone crazy. She manipulated everyone with her powers until they'd finally blown up, almost literally.

Lissa let out a short laugh. "Depends on the fight. In combat Rose would win, no doubt, even against Avery's brother. But if it was a battle of wits, it'd be pretty close tie." She took a bite of salad before continuing. "I'm almost glad they never met face to face. All hell would've broken loose."

"It'd be free entertainment," Christian said. Lissa smiled.

"I just hope we can get her back," she said softly.

"We will," I said surely. "She's strong."

Christian nodded. "Whatever situation she's in, she'll make it through."

**R P.O.V**

I let out a cry of frustration as I threw the chair against the wall once again. I had finally resulted to what I had decided against: throwing furniture. I let out a ragged breath as I stared at the chair. Suddenly the metal door opened and Yana came in. She assessed the room in confusion.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "I can hear your shouts from down the hall."

"I can't take it anymore. I need to get out. I'm about to lose it!"

"It's only been a couple of days," she said slowly.

"Yes, and that's all it takes. Last time I was in a cell I lasted about a couple hours. This is the longest I can take." I plopped down on the bed. Marlen had been in multiple times since the last and so now my arms were littered in cuts and bruises. He hadn't touched my face yet with the scalpel but I knew it was a matter of time.

"Why does he leave the weapons in here?" I asked. "That's completely idiotic."

Yana came fully into the room and shut the door. "Marlen is completely idiotic."

I laughed shortly. "He is isn't he? How'd he accomplish this hide out anyway?"

"I don't know. I've only recently been recruited. He hasn't told me anything."

I fell backwards until my back hit the bed. "When's he coming back in?"

"I think soon," she replied quietly. "I know it seems like I haven't done much, but I really am trying Rose. I almost got the other maid to tell me where we are, but they're hard to talk to."

"I know you're trying. Keep trying, but don't get yourself in trouble. We don't wanna fall back to step one." Yana didn't have to reply, I know she agreed. I got up again and pulled the chair over to the window. It was getting darker now, the sun almost gone. The only fresh air was outside, and I was constantly standing by the window.

"If Marlen is coming soon, you'd better leave," I said finally. I slowly climbed down from the chair and watched Yana slowly get up.

"I'll be back when he's finished, to clean you up. These rooms are not sanitary and I don't want you to get infected."

I smiled, as much as I could without it being painful and nodded. Yana slipped out and now I had to wait. I needed to come up with a plan quickly. I grabbed all the sharp tools that could cut skin and placed them on my mattress. As quietly as I could, I pulled the bed away from the wall. Then using the scalpel I sliced open a small cut in the mattress. I then stuff all the sharp tools into the mattress.

Quickly I pushed the bed back against the wall and was surprised to find how much effort it took. Marlen's games have taken more of a toll on me than I realized. I also wondered when Adrian would stop by. He's only visited once and I was starting to think he'd given up. Suddenly the big door opened again and Marlen slipped through.

"I'm back little sparrow," he said with fake sweetness. I had to hold back a gag. "Back for more fun." He wandered over to the table and I acted relaxed. He stopped suddenly when he saw the blades gone. Finally he whirled on me, his eyes hard and cold and teeth bared. "Where are they?"

"Where are what?" I asked as relaxed as I could.

"The knives, where are they?" Marlen came forward and grabbed my shirt collar. "You hid them didn't you!" His eyes snapped toward the window. He pushed me back and stuck his hand out the barred window. When he couldn't find them he let out a string of Russian curse words and pulled his arm back inside.

Without even seeing it, Marlen sent a punch to my face. I spit out blood and glared up at him. Then, without so much as even blinking he kicked me in the stomach and I skidded along the floor. Leaning down to look me in the face, he spoke. "When I come back, I'll just bring more with me. And I'll find them, where ever you put them." He patted my cheek not at all softly and got up. "Well now with no toys I'm pretty bored. We'll just have to play more tomorrow."

I tried pushing myself up but failed.

"I'll schedule a shower for you too," Marlen added. "You smell disgusting." With that he left and I sent a thankful prayer to whoever was listening. A couple minutes later, Yana came in and helped me onto the bed.

"Whatever you've done, you've pissed him off," she said.

I changed the subject. "If I'm going to get us both out of here, I'm gonna need you to sneak me some more food. Can you do it?"

Yana thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, when I gather your bread and water the kitchen is usually empty, when it is I can get more food."

I nodded. "Alright, starting today, the plan to escape officially begins."


	7. Chapter 7

**R POV**

I press the palm of my hand to my bloody cheek and then shake my hand away from my body, splatting my blood on the walls. I sigh and then wipe away the blood that's dripping into my eye. There were no words to describe how much I wanted to strangle Marlen and then give him a piece of his own medicine. As he promised he brought more blades with him and surprisingly he was smart enough to leave with them when he finished. But for punishment, he finally moved onto my face.

Honestly, part of me just wanted him to turn me into strigoi already. But I pushed that thought away and focused on ways to get out. Yana had told me there are only 5 guards in the whole facility, which I find pretty odd. She's still trying to get permission to out to town with the other maids but no progression as been made in that area.

Suddenly my cell's door is burst open. I jump up and two maids come in carrying a large hose. I frown in confusion as they attach the hose to a faucet I never even noticed before. One of the maids comes over to me and, surprisingly, roughly pulls me up and pushes me towards the blank wall with the window. And then I'm being sprayed down with frigid cold water. So this is the shower Marlen had scheduled. Luxurious.

I pushed my hands out to try and block the water from getting in my nose but the pressure it too hard. Eventually I give up and just stand there as the water soaks me. When the hose is turned off I am left standing in my soaking clothes, the whole room is now wet as well. My cot included.

A maid tosses new clothes onto the torture table and they leave with the hose. With a frustrated scream I start to change out of my old clothes and pull on the new ones. They are itchy hospital scrubs. Using my old shirt I dab my face which is still bleeding but slowing down. Thankfully Marlen let me keep the hair tie around my wrist and I use that to pull up my wet hair.

Once again the door opens and this time Yana pushes into the room. She takes in the wet room and shakes her head.

"Shower?" She asks.

"Yup," I reply. "They were nice enough to bring it to me," I add sarcastically. Yana smiles slightly. I drop my now wet and bloody shirt on the floor and let out a huff.

Yana then places my tray on the table and then from her pocket produces more bread and even an apple. My stomach grumbles gratefully it takes all my willpower not to run and pull to the food to me and scarf it down. I restrain myself and slowly chew on my bread to make it last.

"Thank you," I say in between bites. She nods in reply.

"Yana?" I say. She looks up. "Can I ask you something?"

She hesitates for a moment before nodding.

"Why do you want to get out?"

"I told you already."

"But do you have someone you need to get out for?" I don't know where these questions are coming from, but it's nice to talk to someone.

Yana pauses and thinks before replying. "Yes. My daughter."

"Daughter?" I say incredulously. "But you're so young!" Yana looks like she could be at least a few years older than me.

Yana smiles, "I was a teenage mother. My baby Sofia is what encourages me to get out."

I meet Yana's eyes and see the determination.

"I have someone too. Well multiple someones really," I say. "I know they're both searching for me. But I feel like I have to get out of here on my own, you know? I rely on them both for so much that sometimes even I forget how to do things on my own." I shock myself with this confession and take a moment to ponder this.

"Rose," Yana says. "We will get out. I know we will."

I nod and then Yana reaches out and rests her hand on my shoulder before leaving the room. After eating my food I decided to get some sleep and despite my cot being cold and wet, I curled up and fell asleep. I knew instantly when the spirit dream was beginning.

Adrian sat in a grass field and I joined him keeping a respectable distance between us.

"Great to see you again little dhampir. I was starting to get worried."

"I was too. Thought you gave up on me." I said truthfully.

"I wouldn't do that," he said instantly.

"I'm trying to get more information but it's hard. I have a maid helping me but she's having troubles too."

"Anything helps," he says. "I just got off the phone with Lissa. She and everyone else are in Saint Petersburg."

"Wait..they're here?" Excitement bubbling in me. Adrian nodded. Even though I knew they were in the same country as me now, I had a feeling they were a long ways from me. "Okay, I'll do anything to get information." I promised.

"Alright," Adrian said with a small smile. "I'll let you get some sleep." He turned to me and froze. I frowned in confusion. Slowly he reached out and his fingertips brushed the wound on my cheek. I forgot that wounds show up in spirit dreams. I thought back to the time Strigoi Dimitri held me hostage and bit me a whole bunch, those marks showed up in the dreams as well.

"It's nothing, I can't handle," I say quietly scooting away. Adrian purses his lips and drops his hand before nodding.

"Stay safe." It's the last thing Adrian says before the dream ends.

**D POV**

It was our first full day in Russia and although I wanted to roam the streets and remember old memories, Rose was my first priority. I called my mother though and let her know what was going on. She promised to keep a look out and told me to call if I needed her to do anything.

Janine and Abe are downstairs in the lobby eating breakfast with Lissa and Christian. I got ready to go downstairs before getting a text from Adrian.

_Not trying to rush, but hurry. I think R is getting hurt -A_

I grip the phone in shock and race downstairs. I meet them at the table as Lissa is ordering her meal. They all look up in shock at my arrival.

"We need to step it up."

* * *

**A/N: yay new chapter ^^ So updates this month may be a little scarce and that's because I'm doing camp nanowrimo this month and really wanna try and reach my goal. So please forgive me if I don't update very much...hope you enjoyed this chapter its a little short, i know**

**I've been putting off the reveal of where they are because I'm still trying to figure it out. I wanna try and be as realistic as I can in terrain and whatnot so I'm doing my research of towns and foresty areas.**

**And this is random but omg the new City of Bones trailer was released and it was AMAZING! anyone part of the CoB fandom?**


	8. Chapter 8

**R POV**

"Rose! Rose! I did it!" Yana came into my cell excitedly. I laid in bed and looked up tiredly. Marlen's antics were starting to catch up to me again and I couldn't walk around without it hurting. I so desperately wished Lissa was here to heal me. "I got granted out to go to town. I can figure out which one it is."

I smiled, "That's great!" I pushed up to a sitting position. "When do you leave?"

"Right now, actually. Right after I drop off your food." Yana placed my tray on the table and then pulled out more bread and an orange from her pockets. I was excited to see the food, but even that wasn't enough to regain my strength. I pushed up off the bed and limped to the table.

Yana placed her hand on my shoulder and met my eyes. I didn't realize that we were the same height until now. "Rose, I'll get you out of here."

I chuckled, "Isn't that my line?"

Yana smiled, "Not right now it isn't." With that she turned around and exited the room. I ate my food quickly and stared down at my arms. They were littered with cuts and bruises. Some were scabbing over already. Once I was finished I pushed the tray away and got up. I limped over to the window and stared into the dark sky.

I wanted to be out there so badly. I wanted to see Dimitri, Lissa, Christian. Even Abe would've been a nice sight to see. I pressed my forehead to the cold cement walls and suddenly the big steel door opened. I turned around and found Marlen entering the room.

"I know what Dimitri did to you when he kept you captive." He gave me a smug smirk, as if knowing this information gave him some special authority over me. I'm pretty sure at least half of the strigoi under Galina knew what Dimitri was doing to me.

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall."So?"

"I've been thinking," he said, running his hands along the table as he made his way over to me. "Maybe I could try it."

I stiffened as his eyes zeroed in on my neck. "Sorry," I said. "Not happening."

He chuckled under his breath. "You see you don't get to decide that. My house, my rules." I pressed back into the wall as he leaned in. My hair was already up so he had easy access to my neck. Marlen's hot breath blew across my neck and his fangs brushed across it. In the blink of an eye, they dug into my skin and I gasped in pain.

I started to squirm but the endorphins were quick and I was suddenly dazed. I sagged against the wall in defeat but inclined my neck slightly until he pulled away and I fell to the ground. My hand came up to my neck and came away wet with blood. Marlen wiped his mouth and started to turn away.

I wanted to yell out and have him come back but the reasonable part of me kicked in. This had happened before, if I could get out of it then, I could get out now. The steel door closed shut and I crawled back over to the cot. On the mattress I stared up at the ceiling in a daze until I passed out into a dark slumber.

**D P.O.V**

"Do you think Rose is here?" Lissa asked.

"No," I said honestly. Then hesitantly I added, "Based on experience the strigoi base is somewhere far away but close enough to a city or town for feedings. But starting in the city will get us leads."

It was dark and very few people were out. Despite mine and Janine's protests, Abe, Lissa and Christian had come out with us. Lissa and Christian both argued that having a moroi with us would draw them out but I didn't want to put them in harms way.

The part of the city we were in was dark and quiet with many alley ways. There had to be a strigoi out there somewhere. As if on cue, a quick shadow moved across the mouth of an alley. I sprung into action and grabbed it's arm. He hissed and pulled away, but Janine had joined me and grabbed his other arm.

I grunted as he kicked me in the shin but pushed him back against the brick wall and pressed the tip of my stake on his neck. He hissed on contact with the silver and pulled away from it. I switched into Russian to speak to him.

"_Who do you work for?"_

_"Like I'd ever tell you, dhampir."_

I slammed him in to the wall and he growled. I could hear Lissa gasp behind me, but ignored it. _"Who do you work for?!"_

_"Marlen! He sent me out here to see if you were here."_ He struggled against my hold but I dug the tip into his neck and he howled. The name sounded familiar. And then it hit me, he was in Galina's compound. The one Rose tortured. Not good.

"Belikov, you're making too much noise," Janine whispered.

"_Where is his base? Does he have a dhampir girl with him?"_

_"Rose Hathaway?" _Everyone's ears perked at the sound of Rose's name. The strigoi smirked catching our reaction. "_Marlen's probably sucking that bitch dry as we speak." _My anger peaked and I slammed the stake into his neck. He let out a gurgled scream and I pulled it out only to slam it into his heart. He slumped as he died and I let him fall to the ground when I took my stake out of his chest.

A few lights in the nearby apartments turned on and I quickly turned away. When I met Lissa's eyes, they were wide with fear. Even Abe and Janine looked taken aback. I wiped off the stake and pocketed it.

"What did he say before you..." Christian asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing." My eyes flicked to Abe and I knew by his face he understood what the strigoi had said. He nodded at me and then turned away. "Let's go. There wasn't much out of that we could use. But I know the strigoi he mentioned. We'll start there."

Everyone nodded and we started off back to the hotel.

**R P.O.V**

"Rose, please wake up." Someone's murky voice called to me. My eyes fluttered open and I stared up into the ceiling. I looked over at the person who had spoken to me and found Yana looking very concerned. "Oh thank God! I thought he'd taken too much blood."

I flinched at the reminder of what Marlen had done. "How long have I been out?" My voice sounded far away and slow.

"I don't know. We just got back and I was told to check on you. When I came in you were passed out cold." Her eyes kept flicking down to my neck and I could only guess what she saw. Dry crusted blood down my neck and two puncture marks.

I went to sit up and Yana helped me. "Did you find out where we are?"

Her eyes lit up, "Yes! We're about an hour north of the city of Chita. It is about 2 days from Novosibirsk."

It took my brain a moment to process this through the fog but I finally nodded. "Okay. Thank you Yana."

"Are you going to tell your friend now?" I had let Yana in on the way Spirit works and how it would help me.

"Yes. I don't know if it'll work because he needs to start the dream but I can try." Yana nodded and laid me back down.

"I will leave you then." I waited until Yana had exited the room to try to sleep. I slowed down my breathing and because of my loss of blood it was pretty easy to pass out again. And thank the Lord it was a spirit dream.

"Rose?" Adrian called out. I opened my eyes and found myself laying in a grass field. "Rose are you okay?"

In this dream I was wearing a regular pair of jeans and a tank top. My nazar and the Dragomir chokti were both on my wrist. I stared at them suddenly realizing I had no clue where they were. I had worn them in the attack but Marlen must've had them confiscated.

I sat up and found Adrian sitting across from me. He wore a plain white button down and jeans as well. It was sunny and I let out a weird noise at seeing the sun again, even if it was just a dream.

"Rose, you look fuzzy." I met Adrian's eyes and they flicked down to my neck quickly before tensing. "Again?"

I nodded. "Adrian, how long can you make these dreams last?" My voice sounded slightly dazed and light.

He frowned, "Depends on how long I want them to and how long the other dreamer can stay asleep."

I sighed. "I want to stay forever. I don't want to go back to that place. Don't make me go." I sounded small and childish to my own ears. Adrian's eyes softened and he came to sit next to me.

"We'll get you out. Don't worry. I can bet Belikov is beating down every door just to find you."

I smiled softly. "Chita."

"Huh?"

"The maid that's helping me. She says we're an hour north of Chita. Go and tell them."

"You'll be okay?"

I shrugged. "I've made it this far, haven't I?" I thought about what I had just said. I did want to stay here forever. I hated that cell I was kept in. I wanted out.

Adrian nodded, "Okay. I'll tell them." Adrian reached forward and touched my neck softly. I felt heat course through me and I quickly pulled away.

"Whoa!" I shook my head. "Don't waste more energy on me. Healing in a spirit dream is bound to bring you repercussions."

"I don't care right now." He leaned forward again and this time I let him heal the wound. I was still slightly loopy from the endorphins but at least I didn't have holes in my neck. I sighed but thanked him anyway. After he gave me a small smile, the dream ended and I fell into black slumber.

**D P.O.V**

Before sunrise came I got another text from Adrian.

_R says hour north of Chita_ -A

I sighed. Chita was all the way across the country. A little past Novosibirsk. We'd have to catch a train to Moscow and then a train there. That would take days. I had my own room, but Janine and Abe were next door. Lissa and Christian were probably asleep by now. I exited my room and knocked on the one to the left. Impatience bubbled in me and it took a lot not to bounce on my feet.

Janine answered it soon after and let me in. "We have a slight change in plans."

"What's wrong?" Abe asked, looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Nothing's wrong." I said. "Adrian got in contact with Rose and says she's near Chita. The only thing is a trip to Chita is about 4 days by train."

"That's too long," Janine said instantly. "There has to be a quicker way."

I shook my head. "We don't have enough to pay for plane tickets to Omsk."

"Let me see what I can do," Abe said. "I could probably get us some plane tickets." I studied Abe's face for a moment. He looked tired and strained. He may not know Rose very well, but it was obvious he took his duty as a father very seriously. I nodded and then left them to go to my own room.

Back in my room I laid back on the bed. Slumber took me quickly for a dreamless night.

The next morning, we convened downstairs for breakfast. We told Christian and Lissa about what we'd discussed last night and then I excused myself to make a phone call.

**Lissa P.O.V**

We watched Dimitri get up from the table and wander out of the restaurant. He looked tired and strained. He reminded me of how Rose looked when he was taken during the attack at school. I sighed and took a bite of my food without tasting it. I missed Rose like crazy. In silent moments like these, I'd always relied on her to make a joke and lighten the mood.

"Dimitri looks horrible," Christian said suddenly. "I mean no offense, but he looks like he got hit by a bus."

"I imagine that what we all feel like," Abe spoke before taking a sip of his water. Soon Dimitri came back and he sat back down.

"I found out where Marlen's compound is. We're gonna have to go for a hike." He ran his hands through his hair. "But I don't know how long I can keep playing strigoi. I think they're starting to catch on."

"Well hopefully we can make it from here," Janine said. Surprisingly, she gave Dimitri a motherly look. Rose had told me that her parents still were warming up to the idea of her and Dimitri together. It seemed like she was thawing already.

"I'm still working on the plane tickets, but hopefully by this afternoon I can get them to us," Abe spoke up. We all nodded and a small wave of relief washed over us. We were one step closer to getting Rose back.


	9. Chapter 9

**D P.O.V**

Have a few days of travel, we were finally in Novosibirsk.

"Alright," I said when we all got off the train. "The trip to Chita is going to be another few days. So we're going to have to get supplies."

"I don't want to cause any troubles," Lissa said. "But I think we should refrain from checking into hotels. My credit card transactions can be seen in Court, and I don't want them to get suspicious. The rental car and some food is all I can do."

"I can pay for the hotels," Abe spoke up. "No one's watching my transactions." Janine smiled slightly.

"Okay then," Christian clapped his hands. "Let the extreme road trip begin!"

After we checked out the rental cars, grabbed some road trip snacks and packed up the cars we were off. Janine and Abe shared their car, while Lissa and Christian sat in the back of the one I was driving.

I tried desperately to keep to the speed limit and had to constantly slow down to avoid getting traffic tickets. I could also tell Christian and Lissa were getting a little car sick in the back.

But I needed to get to our destination.

**R P.O.V**

I lay on the bed in a daze. My brain was foggy and I was struggling to clear it. My neck felt numb from all the bites.

Suddenly I let out a frustrated shout. Why is it always _**me **_in these situations? I was sopping wet again; Marlen had sent in the other maids for another 'shower'. But I refusde to change into the new clothes. So I had resorted to laying on the cot in my soaking wet clothes.

The steel door opened and Yana entered the room.

"Wha-" She cut off. "Rose! You're going to catch a cold!"

"I don't care," I said flatly. I heard Yana sigh and suddenly she was standing over me. Gingerly, she lifted me up so I was sitting and then gently pulled off my shirt. She grabbed the dry clothes and slid on the new shirt. It was scraggly and itchy. Then Yana stood up straight.

"I can either change your pants, or you can do it."

With a small sigh, I pushed myself up and pulled off my pants before slipping on the new ones. When that was done I sat back down on the wet mattress.

"Rose, we need a new plan," Yana said gently. "At this rate, I'll be the one dragging you out of here."

I smiled slightly and swayed a little. "No. I-I'll be fine. I can g-get us out."

Yana exhaled and studied me. "Rose look at you. You're a mess. Your neck is littered in bites, your arms and legs are all scarred and bloodied. You're in no shape to do any rescuing."

"I can do it," I said. "I know I can."

"I need you to make me a promise," Yana spoke quietly. I looked up at her. "Promise me, that no matter what happens, you will put yourself first. If you see a chance to get out, you go for it. With or without me."

I started to shake my head. But Yana held up a hand. "No. Don't fight back. You have to save yourself."

"But what about you? You said you wanted freedom."

Yana pursed her lips. "If I get caught escaping, the Strigoi will kill me. Death will be another form of escape for me. As long as the Strigoi don't have me, I will be happy."

I sighed and buried my head in my hands before looking up again and nodding. "Okay. I promise."

I sat up straight, or at least tried to and then looked toward the door.

"How many Strigoi are out there anyway?"

"Surprisingly not much. But there is still a good amount. I'd say about 10 or 15 at the most."

Unless I had some help there was no way I could take down that many in one go. Especially not in my state of mind. But I had to be confident. I could let Yana see the doubt lingering in my head.

"You should probably go," I said softly. "Marlen will be here soon." She gave me a grave look but nodded and silently left.

* * *

**Hey all...sorry for late update...too much school work OTL I'm so ready for summer..**

**So I'm in that awkward place in the story where you're so close to the rising action but you can't think of anything to put before that. So you can tell me this chapter sucks and I will totally agree with you ^^**

**But it should start getting better soon :3**

**sorry for any mistakes too... ^^;**


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